Contact your attorney right away if you have one. If you can get to the court in a short amount of time, please do so. If your case is a felony and has been assigned to a judge, you should call the judge’s clerk to let them know you will be late.

How can I reschedule a court date or get a continuance?

Defendants: Talk to your attorney if you have one. If you don't have an attorney, you could call the Criminal Court at (612)348-2040 to find out if it is possible to change the hearing date or not.

Not showing up for a hearing can cause problems for defendants, and they may not be able to get a new hearing date. If you think you cannot make it to your hearing, contact your attorney right away if you have one. If you don't have an attorney, you should call the Criminal Court at 612-348-2040. If your case is a felony and has been assigned to a judge, you should also call the judge’s clerk, unless you were able to talk to your attorney.

How can I find out if a defendant had a hearing?

You can look up hearing information in the “Court Calendars” section of the MNCIS - MPA Remote. You can search Court Calendars by the defendant’s name and then see that case record. NOTE: There may be a delay in entering data into the system, so if you a looking for very recent information, you may want to call the Criminal Court at 612-348-2040.

What is an "omnibus hearing"?

An Omnibus Hearing is a pre-trial hearing in felony cases that deals with the legal issue of probable cause. If you have questions about the details of your case, including legal terms and procedures, you should talk with your attorney. Court staff can give you public information about a case, but they cannot give legal advice or their opinion on what you should do in your case.

How can I get an interpreter for a criminal case?

You may call the Criminal Court at 612-348-2040 to schedule an interpreter for court proceedings.

Parties: If a litigant asks for a foreign language interpreter or a sign language interpreter in a court proceeding, the court appoints and pays for a qualified interpreter to be present in court.

Witnesses: If a witness asks for a foreign language interpreter or a sign language interpreter in a court proceeding, the court appoints and pays for a qualified interpreter to be present while the witness is testifying.

Court Observers: The court is NOT required to appoint a foreign language interpreter for an observer of court proceedings. However, if the court observer is deaf or hard-of-hearing, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the court’s Language Access Plan, the court will provide the observer with a qualified sign language interpreter or other assistance as requested.

Jurors: Minnesota courts do not have to provide a foreign language interpreter for jurors but, they must provide a qualified sign language interpreter for deaf jurors under ADA.

How do I schedule an "Implied Consent" hearing?

Implied Consent cases are handled in Civil Court, so contact them at 612-348-3164 to schedule a hearing.

I am supposed to be a witness on a case. What should I do?

If you got a subpoena and have questions about your testimony, you could contact the attorney listed on the subpoena. If you did not get a subpoena, but you think the prosecution or defense might ask you to be a witness, you could contact the office of the prosecutor or defense attorney for more information about your role.

How do I get out of a subpoena?

A subpoena is a court order to testify in court or provide information in a case. You must obey a court order or ask to change it. If you want to change something about the subpoena, contact the attorney or party who issued the subpoena or get advice from a lawyer.

I want to respond to a civil subpoena for a Hennepin case. What should I do?

You could contact the attorney or party who issued the subpoena about how to respond. You could contact Civil Court Administration at 612-348-3164 if you have questions about subpoena procedures.